After the debate (and during, actually), fact-checkers were running rampant showing how many times Donald Trump had lied or misled voters.
According to CNN, the count was 33:1 in favor of Harris, but that was not quite the truth.
Talking Points…
- Initial fact-check reports
- The real fact-checks
- Analysis
I always look forward to the fact-checks after a debate like this because it exposes just how biased the mainstream media is today. CNN was one of the first outlets to publish its fact-check, claiming that Trump lied 33 times to only once for Harris. The solo lie that CNN called Harris out for her unemployment claim. When there was pushback against the moderators fact-checking Trump in real-time while allowing Harris to rant, CNN Anchor Abby D. Phillip posted:
“Just fyi: when there is asymmetrical lying, there will be asymmetrical fact checking.”
Now, Trump got a lot of things wrong, but the worst of them all was the report about pets being eaten in Springfield, OH, which was started after a viral video was made during a council meeting of a claim made by a man who is an admitted social media influencer. Rather than actually vetting the claim, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) started to push it, then Trump looked like a complete lunatic making the claim during the debate.
Just a piece of advice for Trump… if you want to be president again, just because it says it on the internet does not mean it’s true (Bon Jour). But Trump got quite a few other things wrong as well, such as Democrats wanting Roe v. Wade overturned, Obamacare, and getting tongue-tied over Kamala Harris’ race. These were unforced errors by Trump, but the pet-eating thing is the one that really killed him.
CNN’s Daniel Dale claimed that no presidential candidate has lied with the frequency of Donald Trump, but I would beg to differ. I usually lose count of around 12 on each candidate, and this debate was no different. By my count, Kamala Harris had nearly two dozen lies, but the fact-checkers are not even touching them, including the debunked statements Harris made during the debate.
The biggest lies that I caught from Harris were:
Now, these are just about half of my list, but they are the worst of them. However, there is still one that truly takes the cake, and that is Harris claiming she was the Capitol during the riot. Harris, in fact, was nowhere near the Capitol at the time. Harris left the Capitol just after 11:00 a.m. that day to go over to the DNC, where she was evacuated just after 1:15 p.m. The Capitol breach did not occur until well after 2:00 p.m. As stated by Julie Kelly or RealClearInvestigations, not a single outlet fact-checked this claim:
Absolutely stunned at this lie.
Harris left the Capitol at 11:20 for the DNC.
Harris was evacuated from DNC at 1:17pm and she did not go to the Capitol.
The 1st breach of the inside of Capitol was 2:12.
Just a flat out lie and no fact check by any media outlet yet. pic.twitter.com/Q2OpDJGH6F
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) September 11, 2024
In my opinion, Trump lost this debate, but he did not lose the debate on policy. Trump lost this debate for two reasons. First, he allowed Harris to get under his skin and make it personal. When Trump went off-script and started ranting, it was over in terms of the impression given to voters. Having said that, when Trump did talk about policy, it hit home with focus groups, so all may not be lost in this debate.
Second, the moderators fact-checked Trump, usually with sarcastic remarks, but they allowed Harris to say whatever she wanted without any pushback. So, for a first-time debate viewer, it would appear that Harris was telling the truth in everything she said when I have already shown above that she lied nearly a dozen times, and there were other lies that I did not even bother to post. Free and fair elections… that is not possible when the media only holds one side accountable. We have state-run media, for all intents and purposes, and you cannot have a fair election when that is in place.
